Prince William Handles It Perfectly When a Little Boy He Meets Has No Idea Who He Is

Prince William takes part in a walkabout

(Image credit: Getty)

published 11 July 2023

It has to be a pretty rare occasion when Prince William can walk in a room and someone not know who he is. After all, in addition to being a future king, William has been famous since even before he was born, photographed at every stage of his life, and the son of the King and, when she was alive, the most famous woman in the entire world.

But, sure enough, there was once a time when William walked into a situation and was just William, not Prince William, the Prince of Wales, or the heir to the throne. The Daily Express reports that, when William encountered a boy who didn’t recognize him, he had a six-word response the outlet calls “adorable.”

When the exchange happened, William was taking part in a royal walkabout in Windsor around the time of the King’s Coronation in May. The young boy was just one of several royal fans and was clearly excited to catch a glimpse of the Prince of Wales—“despite not actually knowing who he is,” The Daily Express reports.

“How long until we are able to see Prince William?” the young boy asked. William himself was standing right in front of him and winked at the boy’s parent before saying to him “We don’t know where he is!" He then added "Have you seen him yet? Did he go that way? Well, he might come along in a minute.”

William—clearly milking the moment and also obviously experienced at razzing kids, as he is the father of three himself—took the opportunity to ask the boy if he knew who Prince William was. The boy replied “Uh…the government?”

With a laugh, William responded “I’m not the government. Do I look like the government, do I?” Immediately, the boy got it and realized who he was talking to, looking towards his mom and saying. “That’s Prince William, mummy.”

Fans took to the internet to express their admiration for how William handled the situation, with one writing “I love this! He’s such a lovely man. Taking interest in everything the lil’ lad said,” Newsweek reports. Another commented on William’s humor, remarking “He’s a natural. Charismatic guy.”

We love some humility in our future kings!

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.